Trees in Snow Candle

The holiday season can be a real challenge when it comes to deciding what type of candles to make for gifts.  Beyond extreme-design candles that you might make for family members or close friends, there are the other designs that are more suitable for associates, co-workers, neighbors, or as gifts to mail away.  The main factor I personally see in the "mail away" candles has to do with fragility of the design and the weight.  The fragile part is a bit easier to deal with, as wrapping and padding can often overcome much of that aspect, but the weight is another issue entirely.  With postage rates taking a bit of jump between First Class and Priority Mail, it's nice to be able to keep the weight low, especially if you want to send candles to several people.  Sending several candles to a few people usually entails Priority Mail ... but, if you go over the one pound rate, the cost is going to take a little bit of a jump.  Some people find votive candles a good option, as you can send many candles without too much worry about the weight issue, but I personally need something in between my heavier chimney candles, for instance, which can vary from about ten ounces to almost a pound, and very little candles.  First Class rates are for packages up to 13 ounces, so if your candle weighs around six ounces, even with packaging, it will qualify.

Here is a candle design I've made that doesn't weigh much, but has a lot of personality ... I think so anyway!  Believe it or not, I have used a plastic cocoa container for my mold.  The trees are made with a candy mold.  And, under the icy surface of the "pond" where the wick is, lies just a bit of blue candle gel, making this candle burn longer and giving the "pond" a nice watery effect when the ice melts off.  
I made these last year and I'm going to try my hand at it some more shortly ... my trees sunk into the snow a little too much, so now I know to wait just a little longer before setting them in.  

 

I started with the base of the candle, which is a light blue. When this cooled, I poured some white wax, making an indent in the center when the was was partially cooled, and placed just a bit of candle gel in the center.  Then, I poured more white wax, this time, inserting the trees while the wax cooled.  All of this took place while still in the mold.  Then, when everything was cooled, I gave it a cool bath and removed it from the mold, adding a bit of snow to the trees and a hint of glitter ... anything that spilled over the side was carved off.

This candle (below) was the first one I made ... I was a little "off" in trying to work with this design ... too much ice or snow or something, kind of lost the "look" I was shooting for.  But, it shows how awful something you may have in mind can look before you get the hang of actually creating something a little more like what you are envisioning!  I'll see how I do this year and hopefully have a successful update for you! 

Happy Holidays!!